Chapter 6 Learning Slides prepared by Randall E. Osborne, Texas State University-San Marcos PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner

PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner 6.1 Defining Learning: Experience That Causes a Permanent Change

3 6.1 Defining Learning - Learning – Experience that causes a permanent change - Habituation gradual reduction in responding

4 6.1 Learning and Behaviorism - Behaviorism: 1930s – 1950s - Observable, quantifiable behavior - Mental activity is irrelevant and unknowable

PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner 6.2 Classical Conditioning: One Thing Leads to Another

6 6.2 Classical Conditioning - Classical conditioning Unconditioned stimulus (US) Unconditioned response (UR) Conditioned stimulus (CS) Conditioned response (CR)

7 6.2 Classical Conditioning - Basic principles of classical conditioning Aquisition Extinction Spontaneous recovery Generalization Discrimination

8 6.2 Conditioned Emotional Responses - John Watson - “even complex behaviors are the result of conditioning” - 9-month-old “Little Albert” - Stimuli—white rat; dog; rabbit; burning newspaper Showed curiosity Then shown stimulus (rat) and loud noise when he reached to touch it—result was fear Soon sight of rat caused fear

9 6.2 Conditioned Emotional Responses - Watson’s goals: Complex reactions can be conditioned using Pavlovian techniques Emotional responses (such as fear) are learned and not result of unconscious processes “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select – doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.”

Classical Conditioning - Neural elements Amygdala—central nucleus - Cognitive elements expectation - Evolutionary elements survival (such as food aversions) adaptiveness biological preparedness

Rescorla-Wagner Model of Classical Conditioning

PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner 6.3 Operant Conditioning: Reinforcements from the Environment

Operant Conditioning - E. L. Thorndike ( ) - Instrumental behaviors - Puzzle box - Law of effect - Watson originally rejects need for reward

Operant Conditioning - B. F. Skinner - Operant conditioning - Operant chamber - Reinforcer Positive Negative - Punishment Positive Negative

Operant Conditioning - Primary reinforcement - Secondary reinforcement - Primary punishment - Secondary punishment

Operant Conditioning - Which reinforcers are more effective? - Premack principle “no TV until the homework is done” - Relatively reinforcing Water to reinforce a thirsty rat for exercising Nonthirsty rat drinking in order to exercise - Overjustification effect

Operant Conditioning - Discrimination - Generalization - Importance of context - Extinction

Operant Conditioning - Schedules of reinforcement fixed-interval (set time) variable-interval (avg. time) fixed ratio (set number) variable ratio (avg. number)

Operant Conditioning - Ratio schedules high rates of responding because number of rewards received is directly related to the number of responses made - Intermittent-reinforcement effect resist extinction

Shaping

Operant Conditioning - Superstitious behavior reinforcement of accidental behavior “this stench causes home runs!”

Operant Conditioning—Neural Elements - Pleasure centers nucleus accumbens medial forebrain hypothalamus involve dopamine

Operant Conditioning— Cognitive Elements - Edward Tolman ( ) - Means-ends relationships - Latent learning - Cognitive map

Operant Conditioning— Evolutionary Elements - Rats trained to let in T-maze to get food - Next day turned right (contrary to conditioning) - Why? rats are foragers adaptive foraging strategy is to NOT search for food the same place twice

PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner 6.4 Observational Learning: Look at Me

Observational Learning - Learning without direct experience - Bandura’s bobo dolls - Adult models

Observational Learning - Social learning - Cultural norms - Viewing media violence - Mirror neurons

PSYCHOLOGY Schacter Gilbert Wegner 6.5 Implicit Learning: Under the Wires

Implicit Learning - Implicit learning - Ways to study implicit learning artificial grammar can learn “rules” even without being taught rules

Implicit Learning - Characteristics of implicit learning smaller individual differences than explicit unrelated to IQ changes little across lifespan resistant to disorders that impair explicit strongly suggests that explicit and implicit learning use different neural pathways

Implicit Learning—More on Characteristics - Resistant to disorders that impair explicit strongly suggests that explicit and implicit learning use different neural pathways